Head of Scotland

Change the system. Improve outcomes for people living with cancer in Scotland. Increase impact.

Cancer does not impact people equally. In Scotland, where you live, who you are, and how systems respond can radically shape your experience and your chances of survival. While excellent services matter, it is national decisions, partnerships and systemlevel choices that ultimately determine whether outcomes improve or inequalities persist.

We are seeking an exceptional Head of Scotland to lead Macmillan’s work at the highest level of influence within the nation: shaping national direction, strengthening partnerships, and driving the conditions for meaningful, longterm change across Scotland’s cancer and wider health system.

This is a leadership role for someone who wants to operate at scale and who understands that lasting progress comes from changing systems, not simply navigating them.

Why this role matters

Scotland’s cancer system is at a critical moment. Demand is rising, inequalities remain entrenched, and the pressures on health and social care continue to grow. Incremental change is no longer enough.

This role exists to ensure that evidence, lived experience and partnership power are translated into national decisions that deliver fairer, more personalised and more equitable outcomes for people living with cancer in Scotland.

As Head of Scotland, you will work across political cycles, devolved structures and sector boundaries. You will help shape the national conversation, influence where resources and attention flow, and ensure that innovation, evidence and good practice are adopted at scale across the nation.

Your leadership impact

In this role, you will:

• Set and lead a clear national vision for Macmillan’s work in Scotland, grounded in evidence, equity and lived experience
• Act as Macmillan’s most senior representative in Scotland, influencing ministers, senior officials and NHS leaders
• Strengthen Macmillan’s national influence, ensuring we play a visible, credible role in shaping cancer policy and system reform
• Build and steward highimpact partnerships across health, community, voluntary, corporate and philanthropic sectors
• Translate insight and lived experience into compelling national propositions that drive change in policy and practice
• Align and coordinate Macmillan’s activity across Scotland, leading crossorganisational teams to deliver national priorities

About you

You will bring seniorlevel experience of influencing national policy, system change or strategic partnerships within Scotland, likely through health, public services, government, the voluntary sector or a missiondriven organisation operating at scale.

You will be politically astute, collaborative and confident operating at the highest levels of Scotland’s system landscape. You will be comfortable with complexity, ambiguity and challenge, and, clear about the values that guide your decisions.

You will bring:

• A strong track record of influencing national policy, system change or strategic direction in Scotland
• Credibility with senior stakeholders across government, NHS Scotland, public services and the voluntary sector
• Deep understanding of Scotland’s political, policy and health system landscape, and how change happens within it
• Experience integrating lived experience, insight and data into persuasive national strategies
• An inclusive, empowering leadership style that builds trust, capability and alignment
• A demonstrable commitment to equity, participation and reducing inequalities in health outcomes

Why this opportunity is different

This is not a role on the margins of influence. It sits at the centre of it.

You will have the authority to shape Macmillan’s national agenda in Scotland, the platform to convene powerful partners, and the responsibility to ensure that the voices of people living with cancer meaningfully influence the decisions that affect their lives.

If you are driven by impact at scale, believe that systems can, and must, change, and are energised by the opportunity to lead work that shapes Scotland’s national landscape, we would be delighted to hear from you.

For an informal conversation about the role, please contact:

• Emma French – emma.french@gatenbysanderson.com
• Liz Dean – liz.dean@gatenbysanderson.com

To view the job description and person specification, please scroll to the bottom of the page, tick to agree to the privacy policy, then click 'Continue to full details'.